


Bright Young Women (Sick of Swimming)

by FreshBrains



Category: Disney Animated Fandoms, Hercules (1997), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Community: smallfandomfest, Disabled Character, F/F, Fluff, POV Meg, Past Sexual Assault, Swimming Pools
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-07-31
Packaged: 2018-04-12 05:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4467281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreshBrains/pseuds/FreshBrains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So Meg doesn’t like swimming. Who cares?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bright Young Women (Sick of Swimming)

**Author's Note:**

> For the LJ Small Fandoms Fest prompt: _Ariel/Meg - going swimming._

“You can rag on me _all you want_ , Mr. Tee, but I’m not getting into that pool.”

Meg flipped her hair over her shoulder and jutted out her hip, her usual stance of defiance. It seemed to work on everyone from that cute wonder-boy in homeroom to the Greenpeace hippie chicks who hung out by the trees after class, but when it came to her stout, short-tempered gym teacher, she was starting to think a little sass wasn’t going to do her much good.

Mr. Tee, the name he preferred rather than his full and mockable last name Octetes, pressed his clipboard to his temple, gathering strength. “Look, kid, I know you don’t want to swim. There’s always a few kids who never want to swim, for some unknown reason I don’t care about. But if you don’t get your butt in the pool, I’m failing you for the semester. Got it?”

Meg pouted, letting her cranky stance droop as the kids who were already in the indoor swimming pool oohed and booed at her. So she doesn’t like swimming. Who cares? Maybe _some_ girls had bad experiences in the county lake when nasty bull-headed assholes couldn’t keep their paws to themselves. Yeah, she gave them the what-for, but some dudes can’t take a hint, and if she knows a thing about high-school boys, she knows she’s not getting into that pool with them. Just as she was about to surrender to chlorine hell and slip off her purple cover-up, she had an idea.

“Mr. Tee, I would _definitely_ hop right into the water, but I actually can’t swim.” She arched an eyebrow at her teacher. “You wouldn’t let a little damsel like me get distressed over something like that, would you?”

Mr. Tee grinned, totally unfazed by Meg’s show. “Well, it just so happens we have a swim team champion in here who can teach you.” Meg’s face dropped as he waved to the girl at the end of the pool who just came through the locker room doors. “Ariel, kiddo, Meg’s your responsibility now. God be with you.”

Meg stomped over to the other side of the pool, finally giving up to her teacher. At least she already knew the poor sap she was assigned to. “Hey, A,” she said glumly, flopping down on the side of the pool to dip her legs into the lukewarm water. “Guess you’re stuck with me now.”

Ariel just smiled sweetly. She always looked so charming and full of life, her big blue eyes wide and curious, her red hair a popping flame next to the drab tones of the pool. She wore a super cute two-piece bathing suit with high-waisted green bottoms and a glittery purple top. “I’d be glad you help you, Meg. Even though I have a feeling you’re just putting Mr. Tee on.”

Meg cracked a smile and rolled her eyes. “You know me, girl. What’s gym class without a little drama?” She didn’t know Ariel too well—she was a sophomore while Meg was a senior, an aspiring museum curator while Meg didn’t know what the hell she wanted to do—but she knew Ariel was friendly, popular, and just a little bit too trusting. “I know how to swim. I just…don’t like to.”

“I understand,” Ariel said amiably, putting the brakes on her wheelchair about a foot away from the pool’s edge. “Could you hold onto my chair while I slip in, please?”

Meg did so, smiling at Ariel’s natural, fluid grace as she slid noiselessly into the pool. While their classmates splashed and shrieked around them, ignoring Mr. Tee’s whistle, Ariel moved through the water like it was her home away from home, her arms moving in broad, even strokes. When she surfaced, she grabbed onto the pool edge and flipped her hair back in a neat arc. “So how come you’d rather stay on dry land, Meg?”

A boy swam past Meg a little too close, making her flinch and hug the edge, her fingers going white from clutching it so hard. She screwed her face into a pout, making Ariel giggle politely behind her palm. “There was…an incident. Last summer at the beach.”

Ariel nodded sympathetically. “You don’t feel safe in the water anymore.” Ariel made Meg feel like she was important, like she was actually _listening_ , and after her bullshit past few years with her main squeeze breaking her heart and her ill-fated rebound with the school rebel, it was really nice, having someone look at her like that.

“I hate feeling powerless,” Meg said, sinking lower into the water so her chest and chin were covered, half her hair getting wet while the other half remained up in a high ponytail. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“I know the feeling,” Ariel said with a little eye-roll. “I mean, a little, I guess. My dad is _way_ overprotective. He always wants to fight my battles. But at some point, we just have to fight our own, you know?”

Meg smiled, feeling her cheeks warm with something like affection. “I definitely know.”

Mr. Tee blew his whistle extra-loud, making everyone cringe and cover their ears. “Okay, disappointments, time to do laps. Try not to drown, please.”

Meg took a deep breath and got into formation against the edge of the pool, ready to slice out across the chemical-scented water, ready to float and be free for the first time since she trudged out of the lake last year. But before she sped off, she turned to Ariel and asked, “Hey, do you maybe want to grab a coffee later today? My treat.” She paused, not waiting for a reaction. “And yes, I’m asking you on a date.”

Ariel laughed and nodded, cheeks flushing pink to compliment her hair. “I would love to.” As she got into position, she smiled at Meg, a secret smile just for the two of them. “You’re a brave girl, Megara.”

“Well,” Meg shrugged, paddling off into the water with a neat backstroke, “I do try my best.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title from lyrics from _The Little Mermaid_.


End file.
